Thaksin seeking parole

Jailed former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is still suffering fatigue and is now seeking the possibility of another parole bid, said his lawyer, Winyat Chartmontree.

After 15 years of self-exile abroad, Thaksin, 74, has received treatment at the Police General Hospital's premium ward since Aug 23 after suffering from chest pain, hypertension, and low blood oxygen saturation while in the Bangkok Remand Prison.

The Supreme Court previously ordered Thaksin to serve eight years, but he received a royal pardon on Sept 1, which made him eligible for just one year in prison.

Mr Winyat said that Thaksin still has fatigue but can communicate. A daily medical assessment is still needed, so his return to prison is uncertain.

"I am now considering seeking Thaksin's general parole," Mr Winyat said, citing his severe illness and seniority as prime reasons.

However, it is up to the results of the discussion between the Justice Ministry and the Department of Corrections.

Mr Winyat said there is room for Thaksin to achieve both general parole and probation, including the use of an electronic monitoring device.

If Thaksin receives parole, he said that he cannot answer where Thaksin will live in detention, as it is a decision his family will make.

Mr Winyat also said that Thaksin has the right to seek a royal pardon given on royal holidays.

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Vocabulary

  • bid: an attempt to do something - ความพยายาม 
  • communicate (verb): to express thoughts, feelings, or information to another person or animal, for example by speaking or writing - สื่อสาร, ติดต่อสื่อสาร
  • Department of Corrections (noun): the government department in charge of running prisons - กรมราชทัณฑ์
  • detention (noun): the condition of being forced officially to stay in a place - การกักตัว
  • device (noun): a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular job - อุปกรณ์ เครื่องมือ เครื่องจักร
  • eligible: allowed by rules or laws to do something or to receive something - มีสิทธิ
  • exile: a situation in which you live in a foreign country because you feel you cannot live in your own country, usually for political reasons - การลี้ภัย การถูกขับออกนอกประเทศ
  • fatigue: extreme physical tiredness usually because of exertion or illness - ความเหนื่อยล้า
  • hypertension: high blood pressure - ความดันโลหิตสูง
  • pardon: an official decision to forgive someone for committing a crime and to free them from full or further punishment or to have their punishment reduced - การอภัยโทษ
  • probation (noun): a system by which someone who has committed a crime is not sent to prison, but has to agree not to break the law again - การภาคทัณฑ์
  • saturation (noun): when something is completely full and has no room left for expansion -
  • seek: to try to obtain or achieve something - พยายามได้มา
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